What are the harmful toxins found in cigarettes?

Countless people risk their lives every day by smoking cigarettes. Numerous studies have already made conclusive findings showing cigarette smoking causes several types of cancer, as well as a plethora of lifestyle illnesses. Dr. Paolo Boffetta explains that one only needs to see the contents of a cigarette to know that it's a deadly habit. Here are some harmful toxins that you can find in a cigarette.

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Nicotine: Nicotine is the stuff people go for when smoking. It's what gets people addicted to smoking in the first place. It can cause an increase in blood pressure, abnormal heart rate, hardening of arterial walls, and can eventually lead to heart attacks. It is also widely used as a form of insecticide.

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Arsenic: Ingesting large amounts of arsenic can lead to severe symptoms such as vomiting, damage to the nervous system, and even death. It's such a potent poison. It is often used as the active ingredient for rat poison.

Formaldehyde: For those who don't know, formaldehyde also goes by the term embalming fluid. It can cause severe skin irritation, burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as nausea. Keep in mind that even e-cigarettes contain formaldehyde.

Tar: The stuff they use to fix cracks in the road can also be found in cigarettes. Eventually, consuming enough tar blocks arteries in the lungs, which limits one's lung capacity. If you've ever seen those photos of black lungs due to smoking, that's tar build-up inside the lungs.

Dr. Paolo Boffetta emphasizes that the toxic nature of cigarettes warrants more than just warning labels. People who smoke should quit the habit and begin recovering immediately to prevent cancers and lifestyle illnesses that can curtail life by several years.

Dr. Paolo Boffetta is currently a professor and associate director at Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. He studied medicine at the University of Turin, where he was also a resident at the Second Division of Internal Medicine. He was also a research fellow and research assistant at the university's Cancer Epidemiology Unit. For more insightful reads on health and wellness, visit this website.

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